Archaeologists unearth cache of ancient artifacts in Egypt
Archaeologists have unearthed a cache near the Western gate of the National Museum in Cairo, which contained a table made of limestone, a fragment of a slab with hieroglyphic inscriptions, some stones, and the base of a pharaonic pillar, which date back to the pharaonic period around 1,300 years BC.

“This type of slab was quite widespread during the era of the Pharaohs, who used it to mark a special occasion,” Hawass told The Egyptian Gazette.

”The slab shows the head of a cobra,” Hawass said, adding that foreign archaeologists were in the habit of burying antiquities they had considered ‘useless’ in the Museum’s garden.

“The antiquities will be analysed,” said Hawass, who has been supervising a project for giving a facelift to the Museum.

The project, which is near completion, includes upgrading the museum and adding new, showrooms, meeting rooms, a library, a bookshop and a cafeteria.

The Egyptian Grand Museum

Egypt's chief archaeologist Zahi Hawass: the 4500m Grand Egyptian Museum is a project worthy of the Pharaohs. It took about 20 years to build the Great Pyramid of Giza, archaeologists believe.

 It will take about the same amount of time for the Grand Egyptian Museum to be completed. Given the scale of the project, it is not entirely surprising. Conceived in 1992, the US$550 million (Dh2.02 billion) museum is an undertaking worthy of the Pharaohs: a vast, stone-roofed structure that will extend from the edge of the Giza plateau across an area the size of 11 football pitches.

The museum will house more than 100,000 ancient artefacts, chief among which are the contents of King Tutankhamen’s tomb. “Egypt’s heritage is very important for its tourism, and so although we have to protect it, we also have to sell it in some way,” says Professor Alaa al Din Shaheen, the dean of Cairo University’s faculty of archaeology and a member of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. With a project manager due to be announced this month, tendering due in September and a new opening date set for 2013, the museum project cannot come too soon for Cairo.

 Tourism is integral to the Egyptian economy, with receipts from visitors growing four-fold over the past decade to reach more than $11bn last year. The industry accounts for 11 per cent of Egypt’s GDP. Crucially, for a country of 78 million people where poverty is widespread, tourism also employs about 12 per cent of the Egyptian workforce. The antiquities council has some 30,000 people on its payroll. The Grand Egyptian Museum is being built with mass tourism in mind. Henighan Peng, the Dublin-based architects, have designed the terraced building to accommodate up to 15,000 visitors a day.

 The aim is to attract three million visitors a year, equivalent to about 25 per cent of the tourists who visited Egypt last year. Yet tourism and archaeology do not mix easily. Asked what keeps him awake at night, Dr Zahi Hawass, the secretary general of the council, does not hesitate. “The single biggest threat to Egypt’s archaeological wealth is tourism,” he says. Just the breath of thousands of visitors is damaging the painted tombs of the Valley of the Kings, for example. “If we do not take serious measures, the tombs will disappear within 100 years.” Where once a hired bicycle and a handful of baksheesh was all it took to see the Valley of the Kings, from this summer only a handful of tourists will be able to visit the royal tombs, and then by appointment.

 Sites will alternately open and close to limit foot traffic. Vehicles have been banned from most sites. Yet these are only a small part of the overhaul of Egypt’s antiquities and tourism sector. Another 20 local museums are now planned besides the grand centrepiece in Giza, drawing the masses but keeping them away from the sites. “Our aim now is to balance the needs of tourism with the protection of the monuments,” says Dr Hawass. Charismatic and media-savvy, the 62-year-old Dr Hawass has made it his life’s work to track down stolen Egyptian antiquities from abroad.

 Recent successes include the recovery in April of more than 450 antiquities from Eton College. After failing to establish the provenance of the items, donated in the 1990s, the English private school decided to return the objects to Cairo. The frequent appearances in National Geographic and on the Discovery Channel have not always endeared Dr Hawass to colleagues. “He has a knack of rubbing up other archaeologists the wrong way,” says a London-based Egyptologist. “But his showmanship does get results. There wouldn’t be as much awareness about the illicit trade in Egyptian antiquities without him.” Regularly seen sporting an Indiana Jones-style fedora, Dr Hawass is clearly conscious of his media persona. “My greatest success with regards to recovering stolen objects is not the 5,500 objects I have managed to return to Egypt, but the awareness that I have raised around the world about the stolen artefacts,” he says.

 Other officials in the Middle East have begun to follow his lead. Thanks to an extensive media campaign, archaeologists and Iraqi officials have successfully undermined the trade in stolen Iraqi antiquities since the US-led invasion in 2003. Gulf states have also realised the tourism potential of their ancient sites, with listings pending from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation and new museums planned in the UAE Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Oman.

 With more than 5,000 years of civilisation compressed into a narrow strip of fertile land, Egypt is the regional doyenne of heritage tourism and the first to experience its worst effects. Temples in Luxor still bear the graffiti of European visitors from the 18th and 19th centuries. With nearly five years to go until the Grand Egyptian Museum opens, the task is to prevent any further damage. Security has been redoubled on Egypt’s network of antiquities warehouses, a common target for thieves. Their contents are now being catalogued, as are the thousands of items gathering dust in the basements of the stately but shabby national museum in downtown Cairo, built in 1902. “The museum is very important for the preservation of Egypt’s heritage,” says Dr Hawass. “It will be the first time that objects such as the King Tut collection will be shown in such a beautiful way.”

 Many of the items destined for the Giza museum have not been seen in public since they were excavated more than a century ago. “The new museum is one of the best ways of preserving these antiquities and showing them to the people at the same time,” says Prof Shaheen. “Our hope is it will be the greatest museum in the world.”

The bust of Pharaoh Hatshepsut in German

A German university denied Monday that it had analysed the bust of Pharaoh Hatshepsut, an Egyptian sculpture at a Berlin museum, or suggested the statue was a forgery.

The bust of the female ruler is one of the icons of the Egyptian Museum in the city. It was acquired for 1 million marks (510,000 euros or about 715,000 dollars) two decades ago.

A news report Sunday said a test of the stone suggested it might be a fake. But the Technical University of Berlin said it had never studied the bust's authenticity.

Scientists had in December 2007 merely studied some tiny flakes of stone found on the statue.

"The analysis found these flakes were made of rock rich in the minerals magnesite and siderite. Where these flakes came from has not been established," a statement by the university said.

The German news magazine Der Spiegel had asserted such rock was not sculpted in any other known Pharaonic statue and that this implied the figure was fake.

Hatshepsut ruled Egypt for 22 years till her death in 1458 BC. Her 16.5-centimetre-high brown granite bust is a key draw at the museum, along with a limestone bust of exquisite Queen Nefertiti.

The Berlin museum has been criticized by Cairo officials for refusing to give Nefertiti's bust, regarded as a national treasure, back to Egypt.

La tumba de Djehuty revela nuevos datos sobre la construcción del Imperio Egipcio

El prestigioso arqueólogo José Manuel Galán detalla hoy en el Aula de Cultura de ABC las claves de su insólito hallazgo en Luxor

La Fundación Vocento, a través del Aula de Cultura de ABC, invita a sus lectores, hoy martes, a embarcarse en un fascinante viaje al Egipto de los faraones de la mano del egiptólogo José Manuel Galán, director del «Proyecto Djehuty». A principios de este año, un equipo de científicos del CSIC descubrió en Luxor -en el área que corresponde a la antigua necrópolis de Tebas- una cámara sepulcral con pinturas decorativas de 3.500 años de antigüedad, que los investigadores no han tardado en denominar como «la Capilla Sixtina del Antiguo Egipto». La tumba, excavada en la roca de una montaña, pertenecía a Djehuty, un alto funcionario de la reina faraona Hatshepsut, que ordenó decorar el techo y paredes de su capilla mortuoria con dibujos y jeroglíficos de pasajes del Libro de los Muertos.

«Lo insólito del hallazgo es que se trata de la primera cámara de la época que está decorada», explica Galán, quien desde hace ocho años trabaja con su equipo en este proyecto, financiado por la Fundación Caja Madrid. En opinión del investigador madrileño, el hecho de que Djehuty ordenara pintar su cámara lo sitúa entre los personajes más influyentes del reinado de Hatshepsut. «Gracias a los textos -apunta José Manuel Galán- sabemos que fue el supervisor del tesoro de la Reina, una especie de ministro de Hacienda encargado de registrar lo que llegaba procedente de países vecinos, como oro, incienso o mirra».

El laberinto del tesoro

El descubrimiento de la cámara mortuoria fue, en palabras del investigador del CSIC, un tanto «laberíntico», pues ésta se hallaba a 12 metros de profundidad, escondida detrás de una maraña de salas y pozos cubiertos de tierra y piedras. Pero la insistente búsqueda mereció la pena. «Su cámara es como un libro de Historia abierto; ahora conocemos todo sobre su vida, sus creencias o sus ritos religiosos. También están inscritos en ella detalles de la vida cotidiana de la época. Gracias a esos dibujos -añade- hoy sabemos algo más sobre la política interior de la Reina Hat-shepsut y la construcción del Imperio». Y aunque el grupo de arqueólogos no halló el sarcófago de Djehuty -«su tumba fue reutilizada», afirma José Manuel Galán-, sí encontraron varios objetos del ajuar y siete pendientes de oro que «pertenecieron a alguna familiar».

De éstas y otras conclusiones relacionadas con las excavaciones hablará José Manuel Galán en una conferencia en el Aula de Cultura de ABC (20.00 horas, en el Centro Cultural del Círculo de Lectores, calle O ´ Donell, 10).

Amenhotep lost tomb is rediscovered

 
The archaeological mission of the University of Brussels has identified the lost tomb C.3 as that of Amenhotep, deputy and son-in-law to Senneferi, the overseer of seal-bearers during the reign of Tuthmosis III (1504-1452 bc).

The tomb was found on the southern part of the Sheikh Abd el-Qurna hill on the west bank of Luxor.

The decorated ceiling of tomb C.3Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni announced that this tomb had previously been discovered in 1880 by archaeologist Karl Piehl, but was buried over time by the sand. Archaeologists searched for it several times, but with no hope of rediscovering it until the Belgian mission stumbled upon it last month.

Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), said that Amenhotep’s tomb contains a classical T-shaped chapel with a transverse hall oriented north – south, divided by a row of six pillars. The southern half of the transverse hall collapsed in antiquity and the space is entirely filled with debris.

Dr. Laurent Bavay, head of the Belgian mission, said that most of the paintings on the walls of this room are totally destroyed. They bear cutting marks indicating that the space was probably robbed long ago, possibly in the early 19th century. The paintings on the ceiling are remarkably preserved, featuring geometric motifs typical of the 18th dynasty, with bands of hieroglyphic texts revealing the name, title, and genealogy of the tomb’s owner.

These texts reveal that Amenhotep was the deputy of the overseer of seal-bearers. He was the son of Ahmes, director of the cattle of Amun, and Neheh. His wife was called Renena, daughter of the overseer of seal-bearers, Senneferi. Senneferi’s nearby tomb, TT 99, was excavated by the University of Cambridge from 1992 – 2002. During this excavation, a well-preserved sandstone statue dedicated to the deputy, Amenhotep, was found. This statue was featured in the 2002 exhibition, Hidden Treasures, at the Cairo Museum.

Sinai land of turquoise goddess

A comprehensive restoration and documentation scheme is underway at a major temple and mine complex in Sinai.

From pre-dynastic times, early Egyptians made their way to the Sinai Peninsula over land or across the Red Sea in search of minerals. Their chief targets were turquoise and copper, which they mined and extracted in the Sinai mountains.

Archaeologists examining evidence left 8,000 years ago have concluded that some of the very earliest known settlers in Sinai were miners. In about 3,500 BC these mineral hunters discovered the great turquoise veins of Serabit Al-Khadim. Some 500 years later the Egyptians had mastered Sinai and set up a large and systematic mining operation at Serabit Al-Khadim, where they carved out great quantities of turquoise. They carried their loads down the Wadi Matalla to the garrison port at Al-Markha, south of the present village of Abu Zenima, where they set about loading them on board boats bound for the mainland.

The turquoise was so valued that it became an important part of ritual symbolism in ancient Egyptian religious ceremonies. They used it to carve sacred scarabs and fabricate jewellery, or ground it into pigments for painting statuettes, bricks, reliefs and walls.

To mine the turquoise, the Egyptians would hollow out large galleries in the mountains, carving at the entrance to each a representation of the reigning Pharaoh who was the symbol of the authority of the Egyptian state over the mines.

A temple dedicated to Goddess Hathor was built during the 12th Dynasty, when Serabit Al-Khadim was the centre of copper and turquoise mining and a flourishing trade was established. One of few Pharaonic monuments known in Sinai, the temple is unlike other temples of the period in that it is composed of a large number of bas-reliefs and carved stelae showing the dates of various turquoise-mining missions in antiquity, the number of team members, and the goal and duration of each mission. From dynasty to dynasty, the temple was expanded and beautified, with the last known enlargement taking place in the 20th Dynasty.

To reach the temple the visitor must pass through a sequence of 14 perfectly-cut blocks that form ante-rooms, and even a small pylon, before reaching the central courtyard. At the far end of this courtyard are the sanctum and two grottos, where the gods Hathor and Sopdu were adored and where their images still remain. This part of the temple was accessible only to the priests and the Pharaoh. Regretfully, a colonial British attempt to reopen the mines in the mid-19th century led to some of the reliefs being destroyed.

The site of Serabit Al-Khadim, which lies on top of a mountain 2,600 feet above sea level, was discovered by British archaeologist Flinders Petrie in 1905. Petrie unearthed several royal and private sculptures, stelae and sacrificial tools dating back to the time of the Fourth-Dynasty King Senefru.

Petrie also found vestiges of the Proto- Sinaitic script, believed to be an early precursor of our modern alphabet. These scripts began with hieroglyphic signs used to write the names of the people who worked in the mines and to keep account of their labours. The signs developed into an "Aleph-Beta" script that recorded a Proto-Canaanite language. The script that developed, Proto-Sinaitic, was used to write a Pan-Canaanite language.

The Serabit Al-Khadim temple resembles a double series of stelae leading to an underground chapel dedicated to the goddess Hathor. Many of the temple's large number of sanctuaries and shrines were dedicated to Hathor who, among her many other attributes, was the patron goddess of copper and turquoise miners. As we have seen, the earliest part of the main rock-cut Hathor Temple, which has a front court and portico, dates from the 12th Dynasty and was probably founded by Pharaoh Amenemhet III, during a period of time when the mines were particularly active.

A number of scenes depict the role of Hathor in the transformation of the new Pharaoh, into the deified ruler of Egypt, which took place on his ascension to the throne. One scene depicts Hathor suckling the Pharaoh. Another scene from a stone tablet depicts Hathor offering the Pharaoh the ankh symbol, or key of life.

This older part of the temple was enlarged upon and extended during the New Kingdom by none other than Queen Hatshepsut, along with Tuthmosis III and Amenhotep III. This was a regeneration period for mining operations after an apparent decline in the area during the Second Intermediate Period. These extensions are unusual for a temple in the manner in which they are angled, that is to the west of the earlier structure.

On the north side of the temple is a shrine dedicated to the Pharaohs who were deified in this region. On one wall of the shrine are numerous stelae. A little to the south of the main temple is a shrine dedicated to Sopdu, god of the Eastern Desert, which is smaller than the northern shrine.

Today, the whole site is being subjected to restoration and documentation in order to make it more accessible to visitors and more tourist-friendly. Mohamed Abdel-Maqsoud, head of the central administration for Lower Egypt antiquities, said that the restoration, which will take about a year on a budget of LE500,000, would remove all the signs of time that marred the temple's walls and reliefs. It would also consolidate them and strengthen the fabric and colours of the wall paintings. The restoration will be carried out by a mission from the SCA, while the documentation will be implemented in collaboration with CULTNAT which will provide the necessary technical assistance and equipment.

Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the SCA, said that every relief would be photographed, drawn and videotaped on its four sides and then returned to its original position. A site management project would also be implemented.

Abdel-Maqsoud promises that by 2010 a proposal will be presented to the World Heritage Organisation for the Serabit Al-Khadim archaeological site to be included on the World Heritage List.

La I Jornada de Egiptología en Almería concluye con que la madre de Tutankhamon podría ser Beneretmut, la hermana pequeña de Nefertiti

La Asociación de Amigos de la Alcazaba ya ha anunciado que está trabajando en una segunda edición de esta actividad

La madre de Tutankhamon podría ser Beneretmut

La I Jornada de Egiptología en Almería, organizada por la Asociación de Amigos de la Alcazaba, concluyó con la tesis de que la madre del faraón Tutankhamon podría ser Beneretmut, la hermana pequeña de Nefertiti. Esta fue una de las conclusiones más importantes a las que se llegó en esta actividad, que se celebró ayer en el Museo Arqueológico de Almería, y que se realizó gracias a la colaboración de la Consejería de Cultura, de la Asociación Andaluza de Egiptología (ASADE) y del propio Museo Arqueológico de Almería.

La conferencia sobre la identidad de los padres de Tutankhamon fue impartida por Juan de la Torre Suárez, presidente de ASADE y miembro de la Asociación Internacional de Egiptólogos. Así, bajo el título "¿Quién era la madre de Tutankhamon?", De la Torre repasó quiénes podrían ser las madres de un faraón del que se tienen muy pocos datos, y que murió a los 19 años.

El presidente de ASADE partió del hecho que el padre de Tuntanhamon fue Ajenaton. A partir de esta tesis fue descartando a las posibles madres, como a la reina Nefertiti, esposa de Ajenaton, ya que no tuvo hijos varones. De la Torre también declinó las hipótesis de que pudiera ser la esposa secundaria Kiya, que sólo aparece en las representaciones con sus hijas, o a la hija mayor de Ajenaton y Nefertiti, que no tenía la edad necesaria para quedarse embaraza.

Por todo ello, De la Torre apostó por Beneretmut, que según indicó, "llegó a la corte para ocupar un puesto muy cercano a Nefertiti, siendo la que remitía los deseos de la reina a sus acompañantes". Además, añade que Beneretmut, aunque apareció en la corte siendo una niña, sí tenía edad suficiente para mantener relaciones sexuales, y parece que las mantuvo con Ajenaton, del que se quedó embarazada.

En cualquier caso, el origen familiar se dará a conocer muy pronto. Y es que Zahi Hawas, secretario general del Consejo Supremo de Antigüedades de Egipto, ha anunciado que en agosto, gracias a un nuevo laboratorio de ADN y a las momias de El Cairo, se sabrá quiénes fueron los parientes de Tutankhamon. Si bien, para De la Torre está muy claro: "Se demostrará que la madre del faraón era un familiar muy cercano de la corte".

Las tumbas de los nobles

Por otro lado, en la jornada también se trató el tema de la mortalidad con la conferencia "Moradas de eternidad, las tumbas de los nobles de la XVIII dinastía", que dio Soria Trastoy, secretaria de ASADE y de la Asociación Internacional de Egiptólogos.

Durante su charla, Trastoy indicó lo que representan las pinturas en vivos colores que han llegado hasta nuestros días de las tumbas de la XVIII dinastía, conocida como el Imperio Nuevo del Antiguo Egipto. Además, la egiptóloga mantuvo que "a pesar de lo que se pueda pensar, los egipcios no temían absolutamente a la muerte porque creían que era una continuación de la vida".

En la actividad estuvieron también presentes Ana Navarro, directora del Museo de Almería, y María Teresa Pérez, presidenta de la Asociación de Amigos de la Alcazaba. En su intervención, Pérez anunció que la jornada de egiptología "tienen vocación de continuidad, por lo que ya estamos preparando un segundo encuentro, que podría ser más largo". Si bien, siempre con el objetivo de acercar al público los estudios de egiptología de una manera didáctica y entretenida.

José Manuel Galán  habla de Egipto

El Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas y director del Proyecto Djehuty, José Manuel Galán trabaja desde hace cuatro años en la localidad egipcia de Luxor, donde su completo y joven equipo de arqueólogos ha encontrado la primera imagen de un faraón representada de frente y denominada 'La tabla del aprendiz'.

Y cuando le preguntaron de Egipto en una entrevista, dijó lo siguiente:

- ¿Qué es 'La Tabla del Aprendiz' y en qué radica el descubrimiento de su equipo?

Hemos estado trabajando en las tumbas de dos nobles que datan aproximadamente del año 1.500 a. C., uno de los cuales se llamaba Djehuty, que era funcionario de la faraona. A la entrada de dichas tumbas encontramos 15 trozos de una tabla que conforman el dibujo de un faraón de frente, cuando la tradición egipcia siempre ha sido representar a los faraones de perfil. La tabla incluye también un dibujo y una inscripción realizados por un maestro y copiados al lado por su aprendiz. De ahí el nombre de la tabla. 

- ¿Por qué la tradición egipcia representaba siempre las imágenes de perfil?

El arte egipcio es conceptual y simbólico para facilitar la comunicación con sus contemporáneos. Por convención, eligieron plasmar las figuras con el rostro de perfil y el torso de frente para mostrar la totalidad de la figura humana en una sola representación. Hasta este hallazgo, ¿no se había encontrado ninguna imagen de frente? Anteriormente se habían encontrado otras figuras de frente, pero nunca la de un faraón. Representar a alguien de frente se hacía tan sólo a mujeres exóticas o a jefes sirios o palestinos que había capturado el faraón. Pero dentro del corpus del arte egipcio son excepciones. Sin embargo, en 'La Tabla del Aprendiz' también aparecen dibujos en su revés. La tabla es como una pizarra donde se hacían dibujos y luego se borraban para realizar otros nuevos, por lo que está pintada por ambos lados. En la parte de atrás hay tan sólo la imagen de un faraón de perfil, pero lo curioso es que se le representa cazando patos en los pantanos. Este tema iconográfico es casi exclusivo de los nobles, no de los faraones, por lo que tenemos una vez más algo único. Esa imagen simboliza el dominio del hombre sobre la naturaleza. Todo el material lo deben traer desde Egipto en fotos porque no les está permitido sacar del país los originales. La dificultad que tiene excavar en Egipto es que no te puedes llevar los objetos a casa. La investigación que hacemos se basa fotografías, dibujos o notas que hemos tomado durante las seis semanas de trabajo de campo. Es un obstáculo, pero que con las cámaras digitales tiene relativamente fácil solución.

- La escritura jeroglífica, ¿ha evolucionado durante el tiempo?

Lo fascinante de la cultura egipcia es que pervive durante tres mil años de historia y mantiene unos rasgos comunes que le da unidad a través del tiempo. Sin embargo, desde la época de las pirámides a la grecorromana hay muchos cambios.

- ¿Qué otras sorpresas depara el Proyecto Dhejuty?
Las tumbas en sí mismas son joyas que nadie conoce. Por ejemplo, junto a la tabla encontramos una venda que tiene la fecha de producción inscrita en rojo. La tela se realizó en el año II de Amenofis II. Eso es realmente inusual

Arqueólogos redescubren tumba egipcia perdida
Arqueólogos belgas redescubrieron una antigua tumba egipcia que estuvo perdida durante décadas bajo la arena, dijo el domingo el ministro egipcio de Cultura, Farouk Hosni.

En 1880 el arqueólogo sueco Karl Piehl descubrió la tumba de Amenhotep, asistente del portador de sellos del Faraón Tutmosis III, en la ciudad de Luxor, cerca de 600 kilómetros al sur de la capital, El Cairo.

"Posteriomente desapareció bajo la arena y arqueólogos siguieron buscándola en vano hasta que fue hallada por la expedición belga", dijo Hosni según una declaración del Supremo Consejo de Antigüedades.

Tutmosis III, de la décimo octava dinastía, gobernó Egipto entre 1504 y 1452 antes de Cristo.

El jefe de arqueólogos de Egipto, Zahi Hawass, afirmó que la tumba consiste de un recinto y una gran sala dividida en dos partes por seis columnas. Parte del lado norte de la sala fue destruido mucho tiempo atrás, agregó.

Laurent Bavay, el jefe del equipo belga, dijo que la mayoría de las inscripciones sobre las paredes de la tumba estan dañadas, una señal que el lugar probablemente fue saqueado a inicios del siglo XIX, indicó la declaración.

Hallan una tumba de más de tres mil años de antigüedad en Luxor
Una misión de arqueólogos egipcios ha descubierto una tumba de la XVIII dinastía faraónica (1570-1315 a.C.) en la necrópolis de Dra Abu el Naga, en Luxor, en el sur de Egipto, anunció hoy el Consejo Supremo de Antigüedades (CSA).
Según una nota del CSA, la tumba, encontrada en la orilla occidental del Nilo, pertenece a Amun em Obt, supervisor de los cazadores antes del reinado del faraón Akenaton (1372-1355 a.C.). Además, han encontrado las entradas de otras dos tumbas al noroeste de la primera, y siete sellos funerarios que llevan el nombre de Amenhotep ben Nefer, responsable del ganado del dios egipcio Amon, durante el mismo periodo.
Más hallazgos
En el patio de una de las tumbas han sido descubiertos otros sellos de una persona identificada como Eke, que tenía varios títulos como el de mensajero real y el de supervisor del Palacio.
Asimismo, han sido localizados fragmentos de varias momias en esta zona, que alberga numerosas tumbas de importantes responsables de las dinastías faraónicas XVIII y XIX.

HALLADOS FRAGMENTOS PERDIDOS DEL CANON DE TURÍN
 Enemigos de la Egiptología (EDE). Teresa Soria.- Richard Parkinson y Bridget Leach, expertos del British Museum se reúnen en el Museo Egipcio de Turín para estudiar nuevos fragmentos del papiro descubiertos en un armario de los sótanos del Museo de la ciudad italiana.

El pasado verano, Nial Mc Gregor, Director del British Museum, anunció que pondría a disposición del Museo Egipcio de Turín los mejores de sus especialistas para restaurar este papiro, uno de los documentos de mayor importancia para conocer la historia de Egipto que alberga. Lo que no se esperaban era hallar nuevos fragmentos en el propio museo...

Mummies found in newly discovered tomb in Egypt
A storeroom housing about two dozen ancient Egyptian mummies has been unearthed inside a 2,600-year-old tomb during the latest round of excavations at the vast necropolis of Saqqara south of Cairo, archaeologists said Monday.

The tomb was located at the bottom of a 36-foot deep shaft, said Egypt's top archaeologist, Zahi Hawass. Twenty-two mummies were found in niches along the tomb's walls, he said.

Eight sarcophagi were also found in the tomb. Archaeologists so far have opened only one of the sarcophagi — and found a mummy inside of it, said Hawass' assistant Abdel Hakim Karar. Mummies are believed to be inside the other seven, he said.

The "storeroom for mummies" dates back to 640 B.C. during the 26th Dynasty, which was Egypt's last independent kingdom before it was overthrown by a succession of foreign conquerors beginning with the Persians, Hawass said. But the tomb was discovered at an even older site in Saqqara that dates back to the 4,300-year-old 6th Dynasty, he said.

Most of the mummies are poorly preserved, and archeologists have yet to determine their identities or why so many were put in one room.

The name Badi N Huri was engraved into the opened sarcophagus, but the wooden coffin did not bear a title for the mummy.

"This one might have been an important figure, but I can't tell because there was no title," Karar said.

Karar also said it was unusual for mummies of this late period to be stored in rocky niches.

"Niches were known in the very early dynasties, so to find one for the 26th Dynasty is something rare," he said.

Excavations have been ongoing at Saqqara for 150 years, uncovering a necropolis of pyramids and tombs dating mostly from the Old Kingdom but also tombs from as recent as the Roman era.

In the past, excavations have focused on just one side of the site's two most prominent pyramids — the famous Step Pyramid of King Djoser and that of Unas, the last king of the 5th Dynasty. The area where the current tomb was found, to the southwest, has been largely untouched by archeologists.

In December, two tombs were found near the current discovery of mummies. The tombs were built for high officials — one responsible for the quarries used to build the nearby pyramids and the other for a woman in charge of procuring entertainers for the pharaohs.

In November, Hawass announced the discovery of a new pyramid at Saqqara, the 118th in Egypt, and the 12th to be found just in Saqqara.

According to Hawass, only 30 percent of Egypt's monuments have been uncovered, with the rest still under the sand.

Terracotta vase left in garden for 20 years is ancient Egyptian relic
A terracotta vase which stood on a garden patio for 20 years is actually an ancient Egyptian relic dating back 3,000 years.

A pot used as a garden ornament for 20 years has been identified as a Egyptian Canoptic funery jar dating back over 3000 years Photo: BNPS
The 13-inch high ornament with its distinctive pharaoh headdress was originally designed to hold the internal organs of the dead as part of the mummification process.

The Canoptic jar, complete with cover, was left outside in a garden in north Dorset until its owner decided to have it valued.

Experts discovered that the lid of the ornament was modelled on the face of the Egyptian god Imseti, wearing a black striped wig.

The jar was designed to hold the liver and Imseti would have protected the organ for use in the afterlife, according to ancient tradition.

The piece was dated between 1550-1069 BC and is now being sold at the auction house Duke's in Dorchester.

The owner of the ancient jar, who does not want to be named, said: "It came from an uncle who was a bit of a collector and when he died about 20 years ago it came to us.

"We didn't know what it was and we have kept it on the patio and in the shed over the years. It was just used as a decorative piece, a lump of stone.

"Then I looked at it and saw it had a face and it looked a bit Egyptian so we took it in to be valued and was told it was from ancient Egypt.

"It was a great surprise that something that had been sitting there for some time unrecognised turned out to be so old."

The ancient jar is damaged and so is not expected to sell for more than £1,000 when it goes on sale on February 5.

But Amy Brenan from Duke's said: "It is very rare to have something such as this brought to us.

"The owner had had it in his garden for about 20 years without realising what it was. It is incredible to think how old it is and what was happening in the world when this was made.

"These jars were made to hold the organs of the dead and this one was for livers and had the head of Ismeti as a lid."

Egipto descubre un nuevo muelle de los templos de Karnak
El descubrimiento ofrece más indicios de la importancia que tenía este lugar en la vida religiosa del antiguo Egipto, ya que otros templos tenían sólo un muelle, indicó el arqueólogo Mansour Boraik, que dirigió la expedición que descubrió el nuevo embarcadero.

Un equipo de arqueólogos egipcios ha descubierto un embarcadero construido por los egipcios en la Antigüedad para acceder durante la estación seca al complejo de templos de Karnak, en la ciudad sureña de Luxor, según anunció el lunes el Gobierno del país.

'A la luz de la importancia de los templos de Karnak, que suponen el hogar principal del dios Amun-Ra, los antiguos egipcios construyeron este muelle secundario para utilizarlo cuando visitaban los templos durante la estación seca', explicó Boraik.

Amun-Ra era uno de los dioses más importantes del panteón egipcio, y se le identificaba como dios de la creación, la fertilidad y el sol.

El recinto de Karnak es un gran centro religioso, en su mayoría al aire libre, que acoge varios santuarios y templos dedicados a distintos dioses, avenidas flanqueadas por esfinges, un obelisco y un lago sagrado.

Boraik señaló que el muelle llevaba a una plataforma de 2,5 por cinco metros, mucho más pequeña que el muelle utilizado durante la temporada de lluvias para descargar mercancías, animales para sacrificios y bloques de piedra.

Desentierran astillero de la época de los faraones en Egipto
Un grupo de arqueólogos realizaron el descubrimiento en la costa egipcia de Ain al-Sukhna. La embarcación data de hace más de 4 mil 500 años.

Un equipo de arqueólogos en la localidad costera egipcia de Ain al-Sukhna desenterró las ruinas de un astillero que data de hace más de 4.500 años, informó hoy en El Cairo el máximo responsable del Consejo Surperior de Antigüedades.

"Encontramos en los depósitos recipientes de barro en los que están grabados los nombres de los faraones de la IV y V dinastía (entre el año 2670 y 2350 a.C.)", dijo Hawass. El director francés de la excavación Georges Castel indicó que en una parte del complejo se hallaron barcos y cuerdas. En otra parte hay almacenados objetos y recipientes.

Los resultados de las excavaciones del Instituto francés para Arqueología Oriental en Ain al Sukhna indican que esta localidad a 120 kilómetros del El Cairo y a orillas del mar Rojo fue un "importante centro logístico" del antiguo Egipto. Allí se trabajaba el cobre.

Los barcos de cedro fueron llevados a tierra y reparados entre dos expediciones en Ain al Sukhna. Los arqueólogos franceses están excavando desde 2001 en la pequeña localidad, que en los últimos años creció considerablemente gracias a unas modernas instalaciones portuarias e infraestructuras hoteleras.

Hace tres años los arqueólogos hallaron varias anclas de piedra así como partes de barcos, construidos hace más de 4.000 años.

An Egyptian-French archaeological team headed by French archaeologist George Castel uncovered the remains of an ancient city dating back to the Middle Kingdom (1665-2061 BC) in Ain Sokhna about 120 km north of Cairo, announced Culture Minister Farouk Hosni.

The discovery includes nine storage areas and three narrow alleyways enclosed within a 600 square meter rectangular building with a single room. Supreme Council of Antiquities Chief Zahi Hawass said that the expedition began its work in 1999, adding that the area may well have been an important administrative center in the area. A large amount of clay pots bearing the names of the kings of the fourth and fifth dynasty as well as planks of cedar wood historically used in boat building

.

Terracotta vase left in garden for 20 years is ancient Egyptian relic
A terracotta vase which stood on a garden patio for 20 years is actually an ancient Egyptian relic dating back 3,000 years.

A pot used as a garden ornament for 20 years has been identified as a Egyptian Canoptic funery jar dating back over 3000 years Photo: BNPS
The 13-inch high ornament with its distinctive pharaoh headdress was originally designed to hold the internal organs of the dead as part of the mummification process.

The Canoptic jar, complete with cover, was left outside in a garden in north Dorset until its owner decided to have it valued.

Experts discovered that the lid of the ornament was modelled on the face of the Egyptian god Imseti, wearing a black striped wig.

The jar was designed to hold the liver and Imseti would have protected the organ for use in the afterlife, according to ancient tradition.

The piece was dated between 1550-1069 BC and is now being sold at the auction house Duke's in Dorchester.

The owner of the ancient jar, who does not want to be named, said: "It came from an uncle who was a bit of a collector and when he died about 20 years ago it came to us.

"We didn't know what it was and we have kept it on the patio and in the shed over the years. It was just used as a decorative piece, a lump of stone.

"Then I looked at it and saw it had a face and it looked a bit Egyptian so we took it in to be valued and was told it was from ancient Egypt.

"It was a great surprise that something that had been sitting there for some time unrecognised turned out to be so old."

The ancient jar is damaged and so is not expected to sell for more than £1,000 when it goes on sale on February 5.

But Amy Brenan from Duke's said: "It is very rare to have something such as this brought to us.

"The owner had had it in his garden for about 20 years without realising what it was. It is incredible to think how old it is and what was happening in the world when this was made.

"These jars were made to hold the organs of the dead and this one was for livers and had the head of Ismeti as a lid

An Egyptian-French archaeological team headed by French archaeologist George Castel uncovered the remains of an ancient city dating back to the Middle Kingdom (1665-2061 BC) in Ain Sokhna about 120 km north of Cairo, announced Culture Minister Farouk Hosni.

The discovery includes nine storage areas and three narrow alleyways enclosed within a 600 square meter rectangular building with a single room. Supreme Council of Antiquities Chief Zahi Hawass said that the expedition began its work in 1999, adding that the area may well have been an important administrative center in the area. A large amount of clay pots bearing the names of the kings of the fourth and fifth dynasty as well as planks of cedar wood historically used in boat building.